Homeschooling and Life: Dec. 1-11, 2015

We are winding down our school work soon in preparation for the holidays. We will have three days of school next week and then we'll take a break until January 5. How long do you take for your holiday break? What are your plans and traditions? We love to watch special Christmas movies. Our favorites are Home Alone, A Christmas Story, It's A Wonderful Life, How the Grinch Stole Christmas (animated version) and The Nativity. We choose an angel off the Angel Tree and buy gifts for a less fortunate child. We also enjoy riding around to look at Christmas lights. We bake gingerbread cookies and build a gingerbread house. This year we even made a gingerbread nativity! We have a basket filled to the brim with Christmas books that we love to read. Also, the children receive candy and a small gift on the feast day of St. Nicholas. We have a special Christmas Eve candlelight dinner after we attend Mass. We let the children open one gift on Christmas Eve; the rest are for Christmas morning! After breakfast on Christmas Day we play board games and lunch consists of a variety of appetizers. For dinner on Christmas night we meet friends at a local Chinese buffet. I love the holiday season! I'm probably more excited than the kids. I'd love to hear about your family's celebrations! Meanwhile, though, we have a little more school to finish before the break: 

Books I use to plan Baby Girl's winter activities. 

Grinch ornament...thanks to the wonderful world of Pinterest!

Gingerbread nativity

Baby Girl during school

Bug is studying layering of earth elements.

Science experiment

Erosion!

Placing sod over the soil

The sod prevents the erosion from being too bad.

Studying cells

Baking cookies

Homeschooling and Life: October and November 2015

We have been enjoying school and preparing for the holidays. It certainly is a busy time of year! I've been thinking about how awesome it really is to be a homeschool parent. I get to teach different levels, from elementary to high school - including special needs. It is so rewarding to be a part of the excitement that my children feel when something finally "clicks." I remind myself of this on the tough days. Want to know more about what our life looks like? Here's a little peak:

Daddy reads to Baby Girl.

Doodles makes a sketch for her biology assignment.

Bug enjoys a book by the pond.

Homeschooling: Aug. 31-Sept. 24, 2015

We've been plugging away with school, staying very busy in all areas of life. I will more than likely only blog once or twice a month now, rather than once a week. Life is just too crazy these days. Here' a look at the past few weeks at our house:

Baby Girl got a new wagon. She would rather lie in it than sit in it. Oh, well! That works fine. ;)

Baby Girl cut out shapes (of course I helped.)

Our "inside" dog loves to cuddle with Bug as he reads....

And so does Baby Girl.

Doodles conducted a "stinky" experiment (OUTSIDE.) She grew microorganisms in pond water.

Bug tested the rate at which objects fall.

Baby Girl enjoyed her read-aloud from Sonlight's preschool package. 

Welcome to autumn!!! It's my favorite season. I chose Baby Girl's Circle Time verses from these books.

Homeschooling and Life: August 24-28, 2015

We had a pretty good week. Baby Girl is doing better than ever with her school. She is much more willing to let me work with her this year than she has been in the past. Bug is still enjoying most of his school - with the exception of writing paragraphs, papers, lab reports...basically anything involving writing he detests. ;) Doodles is doing well overall with an increased workload, but  she is having some difficulty with Biology. I encouraged her that it will get better. She just needs time to adjust. Here's a peak at our week:

Bug is enjoying the book Hittite Warrior.

And now for some reality, folks! Here I am, trying to juggle Baby Girl and the poetry book, which clearly Bug has no interest in hearing. LOL

I teach a K-2nd grade class at our homeschool co-op. We are currently learning about rainforests and will make dioramas this week.

Doodles used a microscope to look at cheek cells this week.

I am currently reading Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes to Baby Girl.

First Week of 2015 Homeschool Year: Aug. 17-21

We had a good start back to school. I can't believe Doodles is a high schooler now! Bug is in 7th grade. Baby Girl is continuing with her special needs curriculum. Our first week went well overall, but it is an adjustment. The workload has increased and gotten more challenging, which does bring a few complaints at times - but we will get used to it. Doodles is using this. American History is her favorite subject, so I think she will have a good year.  Bug is using this. He already loves it! Baby Girl uses a combination of things: this program., this one, this series, this book, and this program.  No, we don't do all of Baby Girl's programs in one day! We don't even do all of them in one week. I have an alternating schedule with her that is very flexible. I also alternate developmental skills lessons with her weekly. I stay in tune with what she is interested in during a particular time and make my choices based on that. Here's a look at our first week of this school year:

I know, I know...it isn't autumn yet. I just feel like it is when we start back to school. So there.

Doodles enjoys doing her reading under a blanket on the couch.

Time for Biology.

Bug wrote a poem about himself for a Language Arts assignment.

Time for timed math drills again!

Bug uses the iPad to learn more about ancient history.

Science is awesome, especially if one wears a panda mask!

Bug is writing his lab report after completing an experiment.

It's time for another experiment.

Bug learned that atoms move faster in hot substances than in cold substances.

And one more experiment! This one involved two chemical reactions.

This is Baby Girl's current read-aloud.

Baby Girl's favorite class is music.

Well, actually, snack time is probably her most favorite class!

Homeschooling and Life: April 1-10, 2015

We had a nice Easter and enjoyed some schooling as well. Here's a look at the beginning of April at our house:

Dying Easter eggs

Baby Girl's Easter crafts

Our dyed eggs

Easter Baskets

Baby Girl and I all dressed up for Easter

Baby Girl's read-aloud for this week

Baby Girl's weather calendar

Bug is working on math.